Welcome to Michigan.

Public television coverag of the 2026 State of the State.

Brought to you, in part b Business Leaders For Michigan.

Their plan Michigan in a New ERA focuses on improved outcomes for students, stronger jo growth, and a resilient economy.

More information is available a businessleadersformichigan.com.

And now here's Senior Capitol Correspondent Tim Skubick.

Thank you very much.

And welcome to this winter evening edition of the State of the State final one for governor Gretchen Whitmer.

This this is going to be an interesting night tonight, because this speech is given in the context of politics, which we all thrive on in this town.

Now, this is not a campaign speech, but there are political ramifications to what she says about what they've done and what they are going to do to shut up the, the, the the storyline, the Democrats in control get stuff done.

Of course, the Republicans will have something to say on that later on, is they have a response with Aric Nesbitt who will be delivering that.

As the governor prepares to enter the chambers as we go to the floor here for a second and get a shot of that awaits entrance to the Joint Convention.

Well, the special committee, please escor and the governor of Michigan now that, of course the lieutenant governor, Garland Gilchrist, would be governor, would be Secretary of State.

And the governor is escorted by lawmakers.

As, walk down that center aisle and shake hands.

The governor is changing course a little bit in his speech tonight.

Traditionally in the last seven that she has done, she has started out talking about wha they have accomplished tonight.

She's going to start out talking about what they want to accomplish in the months that she has left in office.

and then at the end, there will be some discussion of, the impact of her family on her politics.

Unfortunately, somebody who is not in the audience tonight, the governor lost her of her father, Dick Whitmer.

within the last month or so.

And, he was not only her dad, but self-described best friend, quote unquote, and closest political advisor.

Now, the governor will move up to the podium, where she will be greete by the Senate Democratic leader, Winnie Brinks, the House Speaker, Matt Hall, and the LG.

Members of the joint convention, the governor of the great stat of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer.

Keep that introduction short and sweet.

The governor's final State of the State.

Its been a long journey.

Seems like yesterday.

She just started out here.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, my fellow Michiganders.

Good evening.

I am honored to be back for my eighth and final State of the State address.

Thank you.

Majority leader Brinks, speake Hall, minority leader Nesbittt.

Minority leader Puri.

I am eager to work with you all again on our last balanced bipartisan budget.

And let's get it done on time.

June 30th.

I wan to thank every legislator here, whether it is your first term or your last.

I want to thank you for your public service.

From folks like representative O'Neill, who leads the Michigan Legislative Black Caucus.

To Senator McBroom, who brings the U.P.

spirit of Sisu to Lansing.

You all have unique perspectives and strong voices.

And it's an honor to serv the people of Michigan with you.

Let's applaud three other statewide leaders who have also worked hard fo Michigan these last seven years.

Lieutenant Governor Gilchrist, Attorney General Nessel, and Secretary of State Benson.

And let's thank the members of Michigan Supreme Court for upholding our Constitution and the rule of law.

And of course, a big thanks to the Michiganders who keep us all safe.

Our local first responders, the Michigan State Police, the Michigan National Guard, an our DNR conservation officers.

This includes two heroes who responded to the shooting at a churc in Grand Blanc last September.

Two men who did not know each other but acted quickly to protect their neighbors.

Because that's what Michiganders do.

We'r honored to have them both here.

This evening.

Let's give DNR Officer Luk Robert and Grand Blanc Township Officer Jason Carpentier a big hand.

Thank you both.

And next, let's thank our state employees, including my cabinet, the executive office team, and everyone on the front lines in the departments.

Thank you.

To my family.

Without your support and sacrifices, I would not be able to do this work.

I do this because of you.

And for you.

And to the people of Michigan.

Serving as your governor has been the honor of a lifetime.

Thank you for putting your trust in me.

And finally let's talk about the Olympics.

From skiing to skating to snowboarding and hockey.

Michigan was everywhere.

15 extraordinary Michiganders represented the U.S.

on the world stage.

They came home with 13 medals and a few less teeth.

The Olympics are a reminde of what AmAricans can accomplish when we come together to do hard things.

Here in Michigan, hard work and teamwork are in our DNA.

Let's live up to all of what Michigan is possible, and let's give it up for al the Michiganders who represented the United States in Mulan.

I didn't have the heart to tell the Italians.

It's really pronounced Mylan, but okay, here in Michigan, we have a lot to be proud of.

Over the last seven years we've delivered on the kitchen table issues.

Together, we're building a Michigan for all.

Wages and GDP are up.

Crime and overdose deaths are down.

Pre-K, school meals and community colleges are all free.

Taxes on retirement tips, overtime and social security gone.

We fix more roads, built more homes and replace more lead pipes than ever.

And more people move into Michigan from other states than out for the first time since the early 90s.

Still, people are nervous about the national economy.

And while your paycheck may have grown, the cost of everything else has to.

Many middle class families tread water, struggle to pay the bills, find good jobs and get ahead.

And if you're young, it can be hard to find a job that pays well or a home that you can afford.

Tariffs have jacked up prices, costing families an average of a thousand bucks a year.

Businesses of all sizes are facing higher costs and massive uncertainty to.

Last year, AmArica had its worst manufacturing trade deficit ever, while China clocked their highest trade surplus ever, $1.2 trillion.

I am hopeful that last week's Supreme Court decision will force Congress and the president to work out a more strategic trade policy.

And as everyon reels from national uncertainty, we must stay focused on growing Michigan's economy.

This year, let's stay competitive against our neighbors like Ohio and Indiana.

By equipping ourselve with the tools we need to create good paying jobs and make i easier to develop and grow here.

Thank you to Senator Singh and Representative Farhat for your leadership on this.

And we're all exhausted by the endless division.

Too many people are quick to judge and eager to spin everything they read.

Watch her here.

It's stopped by irresponsible leaders and organizations who get more power or make more money.

When we're all angry at each other or sad about ourselves.

But despite these national challenges, Michiganders can show the way forward.

We can show the rest of the country how we work together to get things done.

We can remind people to carry themselves with an underdog spirit and a championship swagger like we do.

That's what being a Michiganders all about.

Taking pride in who you are what you do and what you value.

In 2026, I'm focused on issues that will help us build a Michigan for all.

Firs our kids education, and second, more money in your pocket for housing and health care.

So let's start with literacy, an essential lifelong skill.

Strong readers and writers grow up to be more confident speakers.

Better problem solvers, and great entrepreneurs.

Illiteracy is a challenge that compounds over time.

How could anyone enjoy learning if you can't read your textbook?

Struggling students grow u anxious about getting called on in class.

Become increasingly disengaged, and ultimately struggle to fill out mortgage applications, pay bills, or apply for a job.

And tragically, AmArican students are falling behind.

And Michigan is no exception.

There's a gender gap here, too.

Boys are behind girls in reading at every age.

Michigan is 44th in fourth grade reading, 44th.

This is a serious problem.

Our children deserve better.

And it's not the fault o any one person, party or event.

It's not concentrated in any one state or any one kind of school district.

Literacy is a national challenge no matter who becomes governor after me.

They'll have to continue this work because simultaneously, our economy demands every child possessed stronger reading, writing, and critical thinking skills than ever before.

And yet, we're not keeping up with top states.

But we can.

We can close the gender ga and raise the bar for all kids.

We can compete, but we must change to win.

Over the past seven years, we've taken significan bipartisan action on literacy, led by leaders in both chamber senators Erwin Camilleri and Polhanki, and Representatives Glanville and Kelly.

Every budget I've introduced, negotiated and signed these last seven years made record investments in education.

Every year we've raised the bar, we train more teachers, tutored more kids, funded more mental health and upgraded classrooms, libraries and science labs.

In late 2024, I signed Scienc of Reading Legislation, a state statewide strategy that use proven methods to teach reading.

That includes phonics because it works.

Previously, our schools use over 400 different literacy teaching methods.

Now we're simplifying that to what we know is most effective.

Soon we'll also screen every student for dyslexia, identifying kids who need extra help and ensuring that they get it.

We gave district more funds to buy evidence based classroom resources.

We invested in literacy coaches, professionals who help our educator improve how they teach reading.

And late last year, we convene the first ever Michigan Literacy Summit of Experts.

I want to thank our state superintendent, Doctor Clem Malenko, on his focus on literacy.

Thank you, Doctor Malenko.

And earlier this month, I signed the bills to limit phones during class time.

Students.

Yeah.

Give yourselves a round of applause.

Students can better focus on learning.

And our lead.

Our teachers can do what they do best.

Teach.

I called for this in last year's address, and I want to thank Senator Polhanki and Representative Tisdale for getting it done.

Thank you.

We've been working together to make our schools safer, better places for kids to learn and grow.

So this year, let's build on that progress.

I just released my fina executive budget recommendation, which included the largest targeted literacy investment in Michigan history.

The plan has a simple name and a clear goal.

Every child reads.

It's got three parts early starts proven methods, and extra help.

First, we start teaching reading earlier.

Those early years are crucial.

It's when young brains are best able to absorb new information for babies and toddlers.

Literacy starts when people talk to them, sing with them, or read them stories.

Things most parents already do.

That early learning continue in pre-K, where kids learn their ABCs and use language to play and make friends.

The data tells us that students who attend pre-K are far more likely to read and do math at or above grade level.

I'm thrilled that Michigan families have repeatedly broken records for pre-K enrollment.

It's working.

So let's keep going.

Every parent should know that Michigan is committed to their child's lifelong academic success from pre-K through graduation.

So this year, let's fund free, full day pre-K for all and set every child up for success.

Second, let's get proven literacy teaching practices into all Michigan classrooms.

Our teachers work hard.

No one wants to see our students succeed more than they do.

Let's support teacher by adopting effective curriculum statewide and fund additional professional learning like letters training to ensure we're teaching literacy using the most effective strategies to improve student outcomes.

And finally, extra help.

Now, potential is universal, but opportunity is not our new science of reading law.

Identify students who need more support.

But what does that actually look like?

It means more tutorin and small group support in class and after school programs over the weekend and during summer too.

With our support, every child can read and reach their potential.

Hearing your child read for the first time.

Sound out the words, smile and ask you if they got it right.

It's a magical moment.

Few things feel better than watching your child succeed.

But few things hur more than watching them struggle and not knowing how to help them.

A wise person once said, you're only as happy as your least happy child.

And it's so true.

Too many parents kno the pain of a struggling reader.

Literacy is an ordinary superpower that every child deserves.

We're already seeing remarkable progress in states that are doing the same things I've covered tonight.

These so-called miracle have been taking place in red, blue, and purple states who are climbing the ranks or maintainin their already strong positions.

But these weren't miracles.

They were marathons.

The result of hard work and commitment to the plan.

Michigan.

We've already started this race.

Let's commit and work together to make sure every child reads.

Let's get it done.

Next, let's talk about another national issue we must tackle together.

Housing.

In the 90s, I bought my first house as a 28 year old.

Now, if you're 28 years old right no and you think that sounds crazy, you're right.

Because a lot has changed since then.

We know how much has changed.

Just 1 in 5 homes today are sold to first time homebuyers.

That is an all time low.

The median age of a first time homebuyer is 40.

That's a record high in the average income.

A first time homebuyers is $97,000.

Also an all time high.

It's hard out there.

There's a multi million home shortage nationwide.

While the majority of houses that are for sale are totally unaffordable.

We're also seeing a widening gender gap in homeownership.

25% of first time buyers are single women, while just 10% are single men.

I know some people wer surprised when I spoke directly about young men in my speech last year.

But why wouldn't I?

A governor should care about every Michigander, including the 1 million young men and the 1 million young women who call Michigan home.

I want all of our people to succee and put down roots in Michigan.

They should be able to buy a house and start a family.

They deserve a life that's just as good and hopefully better than their parents.

Unfortunately, it's too hard and too expensive to build new housing today.

Tariffs haven't helped.

We rely on Canadian lumber and Mexican drywall to build homes.

And tariffs have raised the cost of a house by upwards of 17 grand.

Further exacerbating our housing shortage.

Now w can't change national tariffs.

Believe me, I've tried.

But we can build more qualit affordable housing in Michigan.

We can do that.

So our solutio so far has been pretty simple.

Build baby.

Build.

We've invested more to buil housing than any administration in state history.

We set and smashed our goal of adding 75,000 homes a year ahead of schedule.

We're 86,000 now on track t hit our new target of 115,000.

We close our housing gap by 44%, and our homeownership rate remains higher than th national average at almost 75%.

And we help more than 6000 Michiganders buy their first homes last year with record setting mortgage and down payment assistance, loans.

I also directed our housing department to connect more young men and wome to our homeownership programs, because whether it's your first property, the home you raise your family, or the place to retire, everyone should be able to buy a house that meets their needs and stay in it long term.

This year, let's continue making it easier to build more housing.

There are some commonsense ways we can get this done.

First, a new state leve affordable housing tax credit.

There's already a federa affordable housing tax credit, which incentivizes the construction of housing for working class families with a state credit.

We can build thousands more homes every year.

You know, Michigan is the only state in our region without this tool.

And once we create one, it wil unlock more federal dollars to.

So we need to get this done because too many workers are being priced out of homeownership.

Firefighters in Traverse City, nurses in Frazier.

Teachers in Chelsea.

And there are two more thing we should do to build housing.

One.

Demolish nonsensical construction requirements.

And two streamline zoning.

There's still too much red tape that that gets in the way of shovels hitting dirt.

So let's make it easier to build in-law suites and multifamily homes.

Let's modernize lot sizes and setback rules and parking requirements by improving zoning and building codes.

We can build more homes quicker and at a lower cost.

You know, Michiganders love th character of their communities.

Whether you crave the hustle and bustle of a busy downtown or the slower pace of a quiet main street, every community is different.

And that's a good thing.

For too long, however, our laws have made it easy to expand suburbs, but hard to build walkable downtowns and main streets to do or to do more with your own property.

It shouldn't be so hard to build the homes people need in the places where they want to live.

Young AmAricans want to live in areas with good jobs, great restaurants, unique businesses, concert venues, sports stadiums.

To attract and retain young workers.

Let's build the kind of homes they want in the places they want.

Representatives.

Grant and Eragona.

Wooden.

Merriman.

Neely.

Fairbairn.

Senators Irwin and Kavanaugh have been leading on housing.

And I want to thank you.

We've come a long way together, but we must do more.

In 2026, let's continue ou mission to build more housing, make cities and town more fun, affordable and safe, and help the 28 year olds watching the speech by their first home.

Together, we can give every Michigander a chance to live their AmArican dream.

Now, the third thing we should focus on this year is health care.

We all need quality, affordable health care, but for too many, it's synonymous with lengthy paperwork, long phone calls, and confusing processes.

It shouldn't be so hard.

It shouldn't be so maddening, and it really shouldn't be so damn expensive.

Last year the majority in Washington, D.C.

voted to slash Medicaid and Snap by $1 trillion, ripping healt care and food away from millions of our neighbors, family, and friends.

They went home and did nothing and let premiums on the Affordable Care Act skyrocket.

I'm calling on members of Congress, renew the ACA subsidies, provide real relief to Michiganders.

They can provide real relief to Michiganders who now was paid thousands more for the same coverage they had last year.

Now, a lot of federal changes will only make it harder and more frustrating for folks who are perfectly eligible to get the care they need.

Even if you don't get your health care through Medicaid or the ACA, we will all, every one of us be impacted by these cuts.

The domino effect of higher premiums, hospital closures, reduced services, workforc reductions will impact us all.

Even if you have good insurance, no state can pick up the massive tab.

The federal government has dropped on us.

It's just not possible.

What we can do is make health care more convenient and more affordable.

Over the past seven years that's exactly what we've done.

Because of our work together, insurers can't charg more for preexisting conditions.

Young people can stay on their parent's plans until they turn 26.

Prior authorizations are faster, digitized, and more transparent, and there are no more surprise medical bills and no caps on annual or lifetime care and mental health finally covered equally to physical health by law, making Michigan the first state to get that done.

Now let's talk about two more things we can do this year to lower costs and protect access to health care.

First, medical debt over a half a million Michiganders got sick and couldn't afford to pay the bill.

Last year, we wiped out medical debt for 210,000 people.

That's a huge weight off of their backs.

I'm grateful to county governments statewid who have taken similar actions.

I also want to thank Senators Anthony and Lindsey for their leadership on this issue.

But with more economic uncertainty and deeper cut to health care on the horizon.

We know that thousand more Michiganders will rack up medical debt this year.

So we must do more.

Here's what I'm thinking.

Let's ca interest rates on medical debt.

Let's prevent medical debt from showing up on your credit report.

Let's require hospitals to set up financial assistance programs for patients.

And let's ban liens or foreclosures on homes because of medical debt.

In Michigan, we believe that being sick or getting hur shouldn't also mean going broke.

In 2026, we can help more Michig Moving on.

Let's talk about Medicaid.

Last year, we recognized that federal cuts would put 2.5 million Michiganders, a quarter of our population, at risk of losing their coverage, and threatened hospital in rural and underserved areas.

We agreed across the aisle.

It wasn't right.

So we took action.

Our budget protected billions in funding for core Medicaid services.

I want to thank representatives Doctor Longjohn and Vanwoerkem for their efforts here.

But the work is not finished.

In our budget this year, we got to do more.

And my executive recommendation, I propose a significant investmen to stabilize Medicaid funding.

If we include thi throughout the budget process, we can protect benefits and maintain coverage for eligible Michiganders.

No matte what happens in Washington, D.C.

lets us work together here in Lansing to help Michigander pay less for the care they need.

It's what we have done for years.

In 2014, as the minority leader in the Michigan Senate, I worked with Governor Snyder t expand Medicaid under the ACA.

Took a lot of compromise, but we got it done and created Healthy Michigan.

When we collaborate we can do extraordinary things.

This year, let's erase more medical debt and protect our health care system for all of us.

Let's get it done.

Tonight, I've spoken about the work we must do on literacy, housing, and health care to build a Michigan for all.

But it's worth reflecting on just how far we've come in the 2612 days since I was sworn in on a frosty January morning in 2019.

Since then, we've made Michigan a state that more people can afford.

On tax day this year, 1 millio Michigan seniors will no longer pay the retirement tax because we repealed it.

665,000 working families get refunds, averaging 3900 bucks because we increas the Working Families Tax Credit by 500%.

800,000 workers will keep mor of their hard earned paychecks.

Because we ended state taxes on tips and overtime.

Michigan workers benefit from the best earne sick time policy in the country.

You're a part of that.

Good job Matt.

I'm not going to leave my girl hanging.

And the day I took office, 1.5 million Michiganders made under $15 an hour.

The day I leave, it will be almost zero.

Businesses have more opportunities to.

Our fiscal house is also in order.

We raised the rainy day fund to record highs and an active seven balanced budget.

We're a top ten state for doing business for the third year in a row.

We improved our credit rating and will pay off $28 billion in debt.

We sped up, permitting and cut lots of red tape.

And we're building a strong startup ecosystem.

We're making headway.

Michigan is also a safer, better place to live.

Every community has record resources, day hire and train and retain first responders.

We're producing more clean, reliable energy from wind, solar, nuclear and hydrogen to protect our planet and power everyone's homes.

We've replaced 70,000 lead pipes and upgraded water infrastructure statewide.

And we're fixing the damn roads everywhere.

Thanks to the biggest bipartisan roads deal in state history.

And I want to thank Speaker Hall for his collaboration here.

It was a joint effort.

Good job.

It was a decades long problem.

We delivered a thoughtful, bipartisan solution.

I'm really proud of this one.

Since I took office at the end of this construction season, we will have fixed 26,500 lane miles of road and almost 2000 bridges and supporting over 200,000 jobs.

We've had some of the busiest construction seasons in Michigan history, and more are coming.

There's still a lot of work to do.

So when you see those orange barrels just now.

I'm sorry.

And you're welcome.

We've made record investments in our kids.

It's quite a list.

Every student in every school gets the same resources.

Because we finally closed the funding gap.

Every four year old can go to pre-K for free.

Saving their parents 14 grand a year.

Every student gets more mental health resources, financial literacy skills, and personalized instruction.

Every graduate can go to their community college tuition free and every yeah, every Michigander 25 and older can earn an associates degree or certificate.

Tuition free too.

And no child goes hungry in Michigan schools because all 1.4 million public school students get free breakfast and lunch.

And you know what?

This year, let's make that permanent.

Years from now, when people write about this session, they'll remember that we were the ones that finally fixed our roads and fed our kids.

We've also protected fundamental freedoms for all.

I want to thank my dear friend Majority Leader, Winnie Brinks, the first woman to hold that position for her strong leadership.

That's helped make Michigan more fair and free.

Thanks to the volunteers, the voters and the work that we did together.

Abortion is a constitutional right.

Women control their own bodies, lives and future in the state of Michigan.

Thanks to our work, blac Michiganders can wear their hair natural without discrimination.

We finally have common sense.

Gun violence prevention laws background checks, safe storage, extreme risk protection order.

And LGBTQ+ Michiganders are protected against discrimination in their homes and at work.

By law.

In Michigan, everyone deserves to be wh they are and love who they love.

I want to take a moment and speak directly to our gay and tran neighbors, family and friends.

I want you to know that you are welcome in Michigan.

You belong.

You matter.

And no matter who comes after you, I'll stand in the way.

In Michigan, we look out for each other.

That's why I'll always fight for your freedom and your safety.

And I'll veto any legislatio that diminishes your humanity.

I got your back.

We're not done yet.

Michiganders expect us to compete and win.

Michigan is open for business.

New factories making batteries, cars, chips are opening in Marshall Lake Orion, Holland, Bay City, Calumet, Hemlock, Ann Arbor and Delta Township.

A new fighter mission is comin to Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Macomb County.

Probably not on the bingo card, but I want to thank President Trump for his work on this.

I also want to thank Senator Hertel and Representative Minster for their work on this, too.

And Congresswoman McClain, who is going to keep the pressure on in Washington, D.C.

We've had lots of firsts.

We're the first state to restore workers rights, to organize for better pay and benefits in 70 years.

We're the first state to ever restart a nuclear power plant.

And we're going to do the Palisades.

For the first time in 40 years we opened a new veterans home.

For the first time in nearly seven years, Detroit's population grew.

And for the first time in over a century, a new bridg connecting Michigan to Canada.

The Gordie How International Bridge will open.

Throughout 2026.

I'll be going across Michigan, lifting up these winds and listening to you and what we're calling the GSD tour.

I'll explain it when I see you, but I hope to see you out there.

You know, my mission over these last ten months, as it has always been, is to put you the people of Michigan, first.

I spent two and a half decades working in this building as a student at Michigan State, just at the other end of the no freshly paved Michigan Avenue.

My beloved father wisely encouraged me.

To learn about state government and apply for an internship at the Capitol.

He saw something in me before I saw it in myself.

Soon, I landed my first full time job as a staffer.

My desk was literally in a safe on the first floor.

I occupied 40% of the safe in the offic refrigerator, had the other 60%.

I got to work at a unique moment.

We had a tie.

55 Republicans and 55 Democrats.

They shared power and still got a lot done.

And that early experience stayed with me and shapes the way that I lead.

In 2000, I was elected to the House.

During my first term, I had my first child, Sheri.

She was named after my mom, who was fighting brain cancer and lived just long enough to meet her namesake.

And my second term I had my second child, Sydney, and after a few terms in the House, I want a seat in the Senate in a special election.

I literally gave my farewell remarks and walked off this floor across the rotund and was sworn into the Senate.

One of my House colleagues joked that the average IQ of both chambers went up that day.

House members find that funnier than senators do.

I loved my time as a legislator.

I made friends on both sides of the aisle, peopl who believed deeply in the work we did and wanted the very best for Michigan.

After a stint as a count prosecutor, I ran for governor in 2018 to fix the damn roads and a lot of other stuff too.

I've been to all 83 counties many times.

I've met Michiganders o the front line of every problem, even as we've dealt with a lot of darkness over the past seven years.

I've been overwhelmed by the light that I've seen in my fellow Michiganders.

Our state is full of good, honest, hardworking people who care deeply about their families and want to make their communities better.

And that's why I'm optimistic about Michigan's future.

It's the gritty, can do attitude that defines our state's character.

The ordinary acts of kindness we practice every day.

It's Republicans, Democrats and independents who put politics aside to solve problems.

That's what Michigan's about.

It's why I've never been prouder to be a michigander.

Right now it can be hard to stay positive.

It's frustratin to just stay afloat financially, much less get ahead.

Ugly rhetoric and rising partizanship, especially at the national level, has made it hard and made it tempting to tune out and turn away.

Social media platforms that were supposed to bring u together have made us distrust, and in some cases, despise, our fellow AmAricans.

These force economic uncertainty, political division and toxic algorithms work in a vicious cycle to try and tell us that empathy is weakness.

Kindness is gullibility, and sincerity is for suckers.

That's wrong.

We'r all searching for a way forward, and the answer has been in front of us the whole time.

It is us, no matter what comes our way.

We will always have a way through because we will always have each other.

Through a destructive pandemic, devastating floods, deep freezes and deadly shootings.

I've seen that tough times don't last, but tough people do.

We've all been tested over the past seven years, but we've always come out stronger and we always will.

There's no problem.

We faced that.

We cannot fix.

That's just who we are.

I want to close tonight by speaking about the guiding lights of my life, my parents and my girls.

My folks taught me to be kind, quick to laugh at myself, slow to judge others, and always work hard.

To those of you who shared your condolences.

Thank you.

Losing my dad.

It's really hard.

So thank you for seeing my humanity and showing the years to my daughters who are watching tonight.

You've bot made so many sacrifices as kids.

I'm a public servant.

You center me, inspire me.

You crack me up and you shape my work.

And I'm incredibly proud of you.

To my husband, Mark, who's bee by my side these last 15 years.

Okay, he's not here.

Ironically.

I love that line in because he's so sick with the flu.

And I thought it was just funny.

I mean, not funny that he's sick, but funny that he's not here.

Anyway, you get them, you get the gist.

Mark, I hope you feel better.

I'll be home soon.

To my brother Richard, who drove me to all 83 counties throughout the cours of our campaign for two years.

And my sister Liz who helped me write True Gretch.

I want to acknowledge my nieces, Tamyra and Malia, who are both here tonight.

I love you all.

And of course, my fellow Michiganders.

Thank you for this opportunity.

I start and end every day thinking about you.

Because of you.

The state of our state is strong.

And because of you, I know it always will be.

Big Gretch, out!

Gretchen Whitmer delivering a very emotional end to her speech.

That's who she is.

Acknowledging the applause as she leaves the house, chambers.

And our best to Mark.

Doctor Mallory at home has got the flu.

All right.

Let's.

We're back in the studio now, and let's introduce a fantastic panel that we have Chuck Stokes, who's with us tonight.

Chuck, good to see you.

Kyle Melinn, nice to have you on board.

And, Billy Bill Ballenger.

Hi.

So give me 30s on the speech, Chuck.

I'd give her an A in terms of delivery and her vision, and trying to bring all of Michigan together.

Yeah, I give her an A as well.

I think it's pretty clear that she's dialing back.

She's dialing out, and it truly is.

As far as I'm concerned.

Big Gretch out.

I give her an A as well.

I think it was notably absent the histrionics we saw from the president and the state of the Union last night.

I thought she would have had some call outs.

Perhaps.

Maybe, the women, hockey players or Jack Hughes stayed away from it.

And if she stayed away from all that.

So she was focused.

And I thought the way she presented it with the challenges first and then just at the end, kind of saying, okay, sayonara, this is what I did, and I'm out of here, okay.

I want everybody to stay tuned, because we're now going to listen to the Republican response from Aric Nesbittt, who's the Republican candidate for governor.

And after that, more insightfu analysis, analysis, I promise.

Stay tuned.

Let's listen to Mr.

Nesbittt first.

Hi, I'm Aric Nesbittt, the Republican leader in your state Senate.

But more than that, I'm a husband and a dad.

Like many of you, I'm working hard to make our great state even better for our kids.

And we just heard Governor Whitmer deliver her final State of the State address from the Capitol in Lansing.

But I'm speaking to you from my family's sixth generation dairy and grape farm here in Lawton in southwest Michigan.

This is where my parents taught me that it takes early mornings and hard work to get the job done.

Well, too much of what we heard tonight doesn't pass the smell test.

Not even here on the farm.

For eight years, Governor Whitmer has had a bad habit of saying all the right things and then doing all the wrong things, and she's hoping you'll forget.

But we haven't forgotten because we're living with the consequences.

It's harder and harder than ever to make it in Michigan.

Too many families are struggling to heat their homes, put food on the table, and stretch their paycheck each month.

That's why in 2024, you made your voice heard.

You put Republicans back in control of the state House and Senate.

President Trump back to the white House.

Eight years ago, Governor Whitme promised to fix the damn roads.

Yet despite a nearly 50% increase in state spending, higher taxes, and a $9 billion surplus, less than 10% of roads have been repaired.

While you were budgeting to buy groceries, her administration lost more than $8 billion to unemployment fraud.

Well, you were following the rules.

Her team gave a $20 million grant to a fake charity run by one of her friends.

But the cost of her faile leadership aren't just measured in dollars and cents.

We will never forget the thousands of seniors who died in our nursing homes because of her orders.

We will not forget the small businesses and the workers crushed by mandates she now admit were based on bad information.

And we will never forget that our children were locked out of their classrooms for two years.

Now, a staggering majority of our students can't read at grade level.

Three quarters of eighth graders have fallen behind in math.

In Michigan, school rank near the bottom nationally.

And that's wrong.

Governor Whitmer finally wants to talk about solving the literacy crisis.

About time.

But what she won't talk about is how she gutted standards with Lansing Democrats, or how she vetoed million of millions of dollars to help kids recover lost learning after her Covid lockdowns.

By nearly every metric, Michigan is worse off today than when Governor Whitmer first took office.

You deserve leaders who share your values and understand your struggles.

And that's why Republicans in the House and Senate are fighting every day so you and your family can make it in Michigan once again.

We are rooting out the waste fraud, and abuse in your state government, reining in the size of state government and putting more money bac in your pocket where it belongs.

We will end the Democrats green new scam that's destroying our fores and farmland for solar panels, and making it more expensive to heat your home.

We will tackle housing, childcare, and health care shortages by getting government out of the way and taking a blowtorc to Whitmer's bloated bureaucracy and crippling red tape to make Michigan more affordable.

It's time to declare Michigan open for busines and good paying jobs once again, and we will raise the bar for students and teachers and restore Michigan's reputation as one of the best education systems in the nation.

It's time to an Ac to read by third grade Guaranty Trust parents to mak the best choices for their kids and bring back the trades to our high schools.

We'll make sure that our children's first letters are ABC and not die, and we will fix the roads without cursing about it.

Gretchen Whitmer.

Michigan has left too many hard working families behind.

But tonight, fellow Michiganders, I want to encourage you don't lose hope.

Republicans are cleaning up her mess by focusing on the things you care about.

We're going to make the state of our state strong again so that everyone can make it in Michigan.

Good night.

May God bless you and may God bless the great state of Michigan.

we're back in the studio now.

That response from Aric Nesbittt.

That was a line wasn't always in AVC.

I give you 30s on him.

I think he did a good job at delivering the loyal opposition speech.

And someon who wants the job of the person.

We just saw in the pulpit, so to speak, delivering her final State of the State.

the big question is going to be, how do you pay for all this vision that she outlined?

And that's where Republicans are going to come in and say, nope, too costly, and you're at fault for where we are in terms of education.

Yeah.

I thought it was interestin that they picked Aric Nesbittt.

Who else?

Well, I mean, yeah, I mean, he is the highest ranking Republican official, but he's also running for governor.

So, you know, I think they said, hey, this is an opportunity to get him out.

Yeah.

The only thing.

The only thing that was missing votes for me for governor.

Yeah.

I mean, I guess, I mean could you put me all in there?

I mean, but Matt Hall had been behind her the whole time, so could they have given him the opportunity to give the response?

But you wouldn't have got the same tone of from Matt Hall that you got from Aric.

That's true.

But what about Jim runs that?

He's the Michigan Republican Party chair.

He's a state senator.

Maybe he would have not.

you know, it wouldn't have created any problems.

They who is making the choice?

I don't know who makes the choice.

There you go.

Yeah, I don't know.

He makes the choice to make.

I mean, if I'm nervous.

But I sure as hell want to give the response.

He's given it before.

You know, when he wasn' running officially for governor.

But no, I agree.

I look, it's always tough for the opposition speaker to stand out after or you know Trump last night Whitmer tonight the chamber the drama, the glitter.

It's an unfair fight.

It's an unfair fight.

and I think under those circumstance, as Chuck said I think Nesbittt did a good job.

Yeah, I agree.

here's the thing.

That fast.

And there were two speeches here tonight.

Two speeches with two different distinct tones.

All of that stuff about here's, you know, here's what we're going to do.

How is he not diminished at all?

But did you hear the tone in her voice in the temple of her speech when she got to page 15 to talk about everything they had done?

Did you catch that?

Well, I would I would argue there were three speeches because.

Well, which one did I miss?

And once you started getting into the personal stuff at the end.

Oh, yes.

You're talking about herself.

That's a speech unto itself.

Vintage Gretchen Whitmer.

Yeah.

Okay.

Yeah.

The rah rah that you're talking about here are the things that we did, together.

Yes.

That was a completely different tone.

Like how many threw a switch?

Yeah.

And I make a Billy.

You're laughing?

No, no, no, I you know you're getting excited about it.

I don't blame you.

Yeah, I think you're right.

What I sai at the beginning of the program.

This is not a campaign speech.

But, Chuck, this laid the foundation for.

We are the people to get stuff done without saying it right.

I think you hit the nai on the head without her saying, I want to be president of the United States.

You do a type of speech that if that opportunity presents itself and all the cards line up, you can go back to that speech and say, this was speech, not just for Michigan.

This was the type of speech I would deliver for these United States.

Okay.

Let me be clear that I don't think this had anything to d with the running for president.

I think this had about taking control of the Michigan House and holding to the Senate and the governor's office.

Although I respect your point of view.

Yeah but I think in the very back of the mind of most politicians who have been at that level, you always want to leave that door open, even if it's not something you are really seeking.

Yeah, I, I don't know about that.

I think I agree with you.

I don't know if the presidency really has anything to do with it, because I'm not quite sure that that's anything she really wants.

Based on the speech that I heard, the speech that I heard today is that she gave her eight years to public service, and she's been happy with wha she's been able to accomplish.

This is what I want you to remember me by.

And by the way, I've.

You know, this has been a personal sacrifice.

It's been an honor, but it's been a sacrifice.

but I'm done.

And as I was listening to the speech and in I again, I give her in a she does a great job with these speeches, but I felt like her heart isn't completely in the job anymore.

I just didn't feel like.

I mean, look, she she listed some problems that she saw with the state right now.

Healt care and literacy and so forth.

But she seemed to address it as a gubernatorial candidate, almost would, you know, calling on the legislature to do a couple things.

But she didn't direct he State Department to do anything.

Not for anything.

which I think is unique to her prior speeches where she directe this department had to do this, or I want my department to do this, and we're going to do this new program.

We're going to do something different.

It she didn't do any of that.

It was it was a lot more surface level than I was expecting.

This was not the typical State of the State.

Remember all the years we sat around this table and say, you got to find something that appeals to everybody.

So you touch every base and then everything else to show that you're on top of it.

Yeah.

Look, I think you're right.

I was really struck by the amount of time she devoted to literacy.

Yeah, I mean, that was a huge.

This is an embarrassment.

It was like Mississippi.

Mississippi is doing better.

Not that there' anything wrong with Mississippi, but you know the point I'm making here.

Michigan was up there, and now we're down.

Down there.

Well, look let me just mention one thing.

A fault line between Democrats and Republicans on literacy i what if you had to crystallize third grade retention and who's for it and who's against it?

And the Republican are for third grade retention.

If you can't meet the reading test.

Democrats say, no, no, no.

It's too hard on people.

Well guess what?

The Democrats repealed it.

Whitmer signed it.

Now she's saying literacy is, failing here in Michigan.

Well, the Republicans argue that's step number one.

So, I mean, that is a big issue that I think, we all have to look at.

I think the fact that she talked about literacy as much as she did, I'm everybody can agree with that.

What you just said is absolutely right.

That is one thing that everybody can agree on.

But what's the solution?

And she wasn't really that specific.

She wasn't there to talk about phonics.

We're talking about phonics, you know.

But I got a couple of things from the speech.

One was it was a speech, I think, very much designed to her vision of how we grow Michigan, how we go forward, not how we go backwards.

And particularly to young people, young couple starting out raising their families, having kids, trying to educate their kids.

This was like speaking to, two very young people, you know, our kids, who are in their 20s and 30s trying to mold what their future is going to be.

And I got something else from the speech that I think was clea about how she's been successful for her last eight years, and that is speaking to both sides of the political aisle.

There were things in that speech that the Democrats will not like.

There'll be some things that Republicans won't like.

They'll be things that they both like.

But she was sort of that bridge between Speaker Hall and Majority Leader Brinks who don't necessarily get along with each other, but she was able to get along with both sides and able to navigate between those two leaders in which she says, thank you, mom and dad.

Yeah, that's where they came from.

Yeah.

You know, m my favorite part of the speech, though, is when she does get a little philosophical and just talks about kind of the state of our world.

I mean, you heard a little bit of it at the beginning and a little bit more at the end.

And she did a lot of that last year, too, which is why I thought last year's speech was her best speech.

But this year's speech, you know, she added a little bit of that in there, too, talking about how she sees how we're, you know, not as connecte or that we're not as connected as we could be but we're still kind of working through things together that were stronger working together than when we're not.

I, I always find those, the her comments in that regard.

Well, you know, her insight put those comments in the context of the poll that was out this week, which I thought this number was just unbelievable.

this is a poll for the Chamber of Commerce.

91% of the people in Michigan said they want this body and this governor and these houses to do what?

Work together.

Yeah.

Surprise, surprise.

Well, I mean, look, she hit upon that tonight.

I mean, she she actually had Republicans standing.

Yeah.

You know, she did that.

Absolutely.

But again, I think that's what's appealing about the 800 pound gorilla in the room.

Mike Duggan the independent.

And that's why wasn't counting.

And by the way he wasn't i the room which is interesting.

But the point is he's depending on people believing as Zuma's poll shows, they want cooperation, they want consensus, they want bipartisanship.

and they haven't been getting it in Lansing.

And I basically saying, tonight Whitmer is claiming, we have been working together and we will work together because we have each other's backs.

We're Michiganders, but in fact, a lot of the time over the last year, in several years they weren't working together.

I thought she was smart.

Coming the day after the stat of the Union address, in which the president took no prisoners with the Democratic Party, she didn't take the bait and try to get into any kind of fight with him.

She was very carefu about her words and her language and almost goes to the recent, Chamber of Commerce poll that we saw where people basically said they feel as though things are working in Michigan but they don't feel like things are working in Washington.

You know, Chuck I want to pick up on your point, Chuck, about the young people.

Look at the shield.

This state is not done well by keeping it.

Must drive her and others to lose sleep at night.

That we educate all of these beautiful kids at the University of Michigan, MSU.

We pick the 15 schools, junior colleges who get our degree, use our tax money.

And what do they do?

They enter some place else into it.

And that's just got I mean, how do you stop that spigot?

She talked about, mor people are coming into Michigan and moving out, but it's a blip.

Yeah But it's.

Yeah, it's very minor.

And the fact is, we're losing a lot of young people.

And, you know our birth rate is not keeping up with our death rate.

So we still got problems.

You know what really struck me too about the speech.

So we got it.

We got a printed copy of this is 21 pages.

And from page basically 3 to 14, she talked about literacy, housing, health care.

So I mean, if you break it down like two thirds of that speech were about issues and all three of these issues are issues that are being used in the gubernatorial campaign right now.

Every single one of them, are being used by candidates seeking office.

And then she only used then the last, I would say a third was used to remind us what she did, and then her personal story there at the end.

And I guess I though it would be more half and half.

I thought we would we would see speec that was half legacy building.

That was more about trying to frame what her administration was about.

And it wasn't.

She's credit for that.

Yeah, I think that's great.

If she doesn't have five years left okay.

She can do stuff tonight.

But here's the thing.

That was the danger in all this.

What if they just do the budget and leave town for the rest of the year?

So much for page 13 in the speech, Yeah, it's true, but I mean, she's addressing problems that are big in the campaign right now like health care affordability.

And she actually gave some real ideas on what to d about health care affordability.

whether it's, you know, capping, you know, capping, the interest rates on your health care bill or your hospital bill, I actually thought that was the stronges substantive part of the speech on 13, where she rattled off cap interest rates, get financials.

And this was news to me.

I didn't kno you could get a loan on a home if you had medical debt.

Silly me.

Yeah.

you know, that's huge.

Okay.

And also, don't put it on your credit report.

I thought I thought that was strong stuff there.

And it's showed tha she's been having these meetings with the opposite side of the aisle on housing.

We know that she met with, Aric Garner this week, who's a Republican from Macomb County.

Absolutely.

And zoning laws and zoning laws, which is going to be a that's going to there' going to be some pushback there and some fights because it's it's local control over the state trying to get involved in telling you what to do.

So there's that.

There's also health care.

And she knows that.

Speaker Hall has said that's one of his agenda.

He wants to see something done on health care and potentially push back on the hospitals.

That's going to be a little tug of war in there as well.

One of the big things is looming ove the speech was what has happened in the last 48 hours from House Speaker Matt Hall and his proposal to slash property taxes, $5 million.

Excuse me, I guess it wouldn't be the elephant in the room.

It was the elephant.

And the elephant in the room did not address.

He did not fly.

I was wondering whether tonigh she would actually acknowledge that.

I thought she would not.

But that is going to driv a lot of what happens this year.

Just like fix the damn roads drove a lot of what happened last year and caused basically the budget meltdown that, you know, ended up with a brief shutdown.

Yeah, we can't just say, yeah, because what the speaker is proposing is to get rid of the state six mil on the property tax, get rid of the pop up tax, and get rid of the real estate transfer tax and the personal tax and utilities and others, and tell utilities to lower the rates and a total combined package of $5 billion that he suggested yesterday that instead, he'd like to expand the sales tax to some services, luxury services.

He wants to make that very clear.

Luxury services, luxury services.

Not on the average Joe and Joe.

That is Jennifer Granholm 2.0.

Exactly.

That is what she proposed a Democratic governor, you know, 15 years ago.

And it almost got across the finish line.

It was kind of a debacle, as it turned out.

But, I mean, that's exactly what Hawley's proposal just got through the finish line.

But then they pulled the metal back because the I mean, for those of you that weren't here in 2007 was an a magical moment.

Yeah.

They passed all these sales tax stuff, and the lobbying pressure wa so intense after they passed it.

Even the day that it took effect, they repealed repealed that they repealed it.

It did really have a chance.

And I reminded the speake of that yesterday and he smiled.

He said, you've got a good memory and every onc in a while I do remember stuff.

I don't know what I ate for lunch.

Okay.

What do they get all this done, Tim?

By June 30th.

That's my point with the pressure of midterm elections, these, state representatives and senators, they want to get bac to their districts and campaign.

She wants to go out being able to say, with the exception of yo know, that little slight delay.

And last year, got all my budgets done on time.

I'm going out.

They'll say one thing, that's going to make them get it done by July 1st.

If they do, the fac they want to be out there paying so they didn't have to camp.

But let me argue against myself.

By the same token, if they were to get out of Dodge with property tax relief and even a portion of this package that save some money lowers utility, that's a win for both parties.

It is.

You know, it's a win for every.

There is a motivation to get that done before they get out of Dodge.

You know what.

And as we were sitting here talking about that, that is kind of the genius of this speech.

I mean, because you have three Republicans in the Hous and the Democrats in the Senate actually address some of this stuff.

Literacy, housing and health care being gone before the fat city.

I mean these are the three big issues that everyone's talking about anyway.

So if you can make some headway on these three issues, she's giving them an opportunity to maybe be successful and Republicans need it.

Republicans need this kind of she had done tonight.

Bring up the property tax issue and turn to Mr.

Hall and go over to him and say, Mr.

Speaker, I heard what you said yesterday and shake my hand.

Let's work together on this.

Wow.

That would really be something I would not.

Mr.. I don't think that would.

That is stop the presses.

Well, it would have stopped, but I guess what, I'm not sur she's on board with that idea.

Well, but fake it.

Because, you know, he's not going to get everything.

Yeah.

You know, to the art of compromise or the deal.

But it would mean when you're not buying.

Well, see, here's the proble though, because it sounds great.

I mean, that proposal, it also looks good.

Remember this is television.

It does it does look good.

It sounds good.

But the problem i it's a luxury tax on services.

Even if you get that through.

And only that only generates like a sliver of what you would need to replace $5 billion.

It would replace, I think, 200.7 billion.

It's going well.

That's what he said.

That's what he said.

But I mean, he must be hiding some different things because just doing the luxuries.

I talked to an economist about this today.

He said 200 30 maybe is what we're looking at.

It's not 4.7 million you would need to rate.

You would need to extend the sales tax on all services, health care and taxes.

And you can't do and right.

And he he's already said he doesn't want to do that.

He doesn't want to do it on health care.

He doesn't want to do it on certain services like daycare, daycare, dry clean legal services.

So you take that off the table, you can't get there.

You can't get to 4.7.

So there must mayb there's something else in there that we're missing that he's not telling us yet.

One thing we didn't hear was, you know, cutting taxes.

And we did.

You know, she put out her budget before the speech, which is very unusual.

This is a very late speech.

I think they deliberately wanted to have that after the state of the Union, which was last night.

Oh, they made that decision on purpose.

Yeah, exactly, exactly.

And the the budget has been put out before the State of the State which has hardly ever happened.

And it's out there and basically she's calling for a whole bunch of tax increases and the and they're already dead, according to Hall, dead on arrival.

And the unknown factor here is how much of the fight in Washington, what impact that's going to have on the state of Michigan, no matter what Michigan legislatures want to do in in what regard been setting the tone?

Well because if you get into a major fight on tariffs, we already have that going.

The Supreme Court has ruled this decision.

The Trump administration is going a different way to be able to continue with that rather than backing off of that.

And we know that tariffs have an impact here.

So that's going to be one key thing.

What's going to happen in term of health care and all of that.

You know because as she said in her speech, there's no way anyone state can handle these cost alone.

They've got to have help from the federal government.

But the fighting in Washington is so fierce.

And so Partizan, it could have a major effect on things they want to get done here.

I think she will lay awake nights to make sure that doesn't happen.

And I think there are others in that chamber that feel the same way.

Am I to optimistic there you know, is.

No, I don't think so.

I mean, that was that was a ringing endorsement from him.

You know, he's it's late in the evening and the Partizan in DC though is something that even the polling shows is so divisive that it hasn't completely rolled over into Michigan yet.

Didn't that Zuba polls sho that 20% of people think that, that or 80% think th Partizanship is too much in DC, or is it even?

It was more than that.

And then and they recognize the difference.

They recognize the difference for them.

And in Lansing it was only 60% think the partizanship is too much.

So they do recognize that DC is is way over the top.

I mean, they'r shutting government down again.

Partially whatever, because the Democrats are holding off funding for Ice.

It's you know, it's a different level of partizanship than what we're seeing here.

And I think she recognizes that.

And I don't think that the legislature here in Michigan sees value in doing that.

Not if they want to get something done correct.

And I think they do.

I think they do try.

I think they did know William I agree.

All right.

And on that note, I do I don't know.

Let me just let me just point out that I wanted to have some female members on the panel tonight.

The all of my, all of our panel members from Off the Record are working.

Yeah, they're covering the speech.

And thank you.

Seeing that actually work.

Yes, yes.

I'm not going to si around the table here and do my emails.

Absolutely.

Thanks to the three of you for being here.

Thanks to our audience.

You're doing your part to be part of the democracy.

And we appreciate that around this table.

watch us on off the record later on.

And, tomorrow morning at 1115 yours truly, you'll be talking to the woma that was in that podium tonight.

Wonder what we'll talk about.

See you on the other side.

Thanks for tuning in, folks.

Thank you for watching.

Michigan Public Television's coverage of the 2026 State of the State, brought to you in part b business leaders for Michigan.

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